Illuminate

The soft, white fur was misleading. The crimson red eyes were playful, yet taunting. The aura around the creature tempted me, curling around my senses like fog. My heartbeat echoed all around in the silence, pulling me closer to the alluring rabbit and the darkness that lingered just behind him. With each beat, I appeared closer and closer to the hole until I came to the very edge...

"Alice Liddel, did you fall asleep again?"

Like an elastic band, I was snatched away from the rabbit and the hole he guarded, back to reality. My eyes flew open and my heart gave a heavy thump to the sudden awakening. I gazed around the familiar setting of our backyard, my eyes settling on the beautiful willow tree I so loved. The breeze tickled the thin branches, swaying back and forth as sunlight peered through. My view was obscured when the face of my beautiful sister appeared, wrinkles between her brows.

"Alice, how many times do I have to tell you not to fall asleep outside," she said quietly as she resumed her spot against the tree trunk. "It is too dangerous to sleep outside."

The strange dream played over on repeat as I rolled onto my stomach to gaze at her. She lifted the hard cover novel that lay on the grass beside her, and resumed her reading. Envy swirled within my chest and I cast it away on a sigh. My sister was one of the most beautiful people in town, evidence enough when the man I believed destined to be wed to, had left me in pursuit of her. Long, silvery locks of iridescent platinum blond hair coiled perfectly around a graceful, full face. Eyes the colour of a spring steam moved from side to side as she read each line on the page. Full, alluring lips parted slightly to give notice that she had made it to a good part of her novel. She was beauty itself in every form of the word. She was elegant and graceful in ways that I would never be. I was too adventurous and often got into mischief. It was no wonder that he had chosen her in the end. She was a proper lady.

Those blue eyes flickered upwards and caused me to stiffen in surprise. She blinked a few times before lowering her book and gazing at me questioningly.

"Are you alright, Alice?"

I managed a smile and rested my chin in the palms of my hands. "I'm fine, sister. I just had a weird dream is all," I said softly, turning to gaze at the spot near the rosebushes were the rabbit had been.

"That's what happens when you fall asleep outside in the sun," she said wryly as she resumed her reading.

After a few moments of staring at the clouds roll by, I began to drift off again. My vision blurred slightly until the familiar white rabbit burst out of the rosebush. Blood red petals floated down around him from his entrance, and that was when I noticed a small pocket watch around his neck. The ticking carried over all other noises, tempting me to come closer. I opened my mouth to speak to my sister, when I looked to where she was seated and saw that she was gone. I must be dreaming, I wondered as my eyes automatically sought again the curious rabbit.

"Want to play a game, Alice?"

Just like that, the cute white rabbit had disappeared to leave behind a handsome man with snow white hair and beautiful ruby eyes. Looking over his appearance, my lips parted in shock when I saw the long white ears poking through his hair.

"I must be dreaming," I murmured as I rose to my feet and stared at the stranger.

He was finely dressed in a tailored suit of red and white with a glistening gold pocket watch peeking out, the slender chain catching the sunlight as he moved. His lips curled into an inviting smile.

"Yes, it is just a dream," he said silkily as he stepped ever so closer until I could catch the scent of roses and earth. "Want to play a game with me, Alice?"

Curiosity overtook me as he paused a few feet away from me, watching me with that smile just as the rabbit had. Those eyes taunted me, drew me in along with something else I could not recognise. As tempting as the idea was because it was only a dream, some part of me was screaming in warning that he was dangerous. Unable to stop myself, I took a step away from him.

"As interesting as that sounds, Mr. Rabbit, I am not sure I want to play a game," I murmured carefully.

Panic flared in his scarlet eyes before the emotion disappeared. His tall prominent ears dropped slightly, pressing back against the sides of his head. He held out a hand and stepped closer cautiously.

"It's only a dream, Alice, and yet you still do not wish to play with me?" he asked softly, his voice filled with desperation.

The emotion confused me. This strange creature was desperate to have me play with him. Somewhere in the vague recesses of my memory, I felt like I had met him before. Curiosity was beginning to win out in my internal struggle. After all, it was just a dream so why did I feel so frightened?

"Um..." I stepped further away from him, my body moving without thinking.

Those eyes changed as did his demeanour. That desperation had suddenly transformed into bittersweet determination. He reached out and grasped my arm tightly and pulled me into his lean body.

"I am truly sorry, Alice, but you must play the game."

My heart lurched as he swept me off of my feet into his arms and turned toward the darkened hole just on the other side of the rosebushes. My skin prickled in fear as my heart rate sped up the closer we came to the edge of opened earth. The entrance was pure black--not a glimpse of light to be seen and it was terrifying.

I gripped his jacket tightly, suddenly on the verge of tears. "Please Mr. Rabbit...I really do not..."

With one mighty leap, he closed the gap over the circle of darkness and plunged straight in. Covering my face with my hands, I let out a terrible shriek of terror as we plummeted surely towards our doom.

"Alice," he said as I continued to scream, overcome with fear.

"Alice!" he shouted louder.

It was then I noticed that we were not longer falling and yet I could not feel earth beneath my feet. Heart pounding, I hesitantly peered through the opens of my fingers covering my face and saw that we were indeed still in the hole, however it was a sight to behold. Feeling light as air, we slowly drifted down like a bubble floating on a breeze. All around us were very unusual items to be in a rabbit hole. Teacups floated here and there along with matching teapots, some of which were pouring themselves. Linens and utensils danced around mixed in with random clocks of different sizes and structures. The ticking was the only thing to be heard. Gazing up I could see the small pinprick of sunlight that we had fallen from.

"Where are we?" I asked curiously, remembering that I was still dreaming under the willow tree.

The end came in sight and my feet touched ever so gently before I was able to stand alone on a platform. My kidnapper turned to me with a smile and bowed gracefully. He took my hand and placed a gentle kiss upon the flesh before peering up at me with those eyes.

"I would like to introduce myself, Alice. My name is Peter White and I have come to take you to Wonderland."

Something stirred inside me at the mention of the place called Wonderland. Where have I heard that before?

"Want to play the game, Alice?" he asked innocently and I turned to him with a frown.

"Why do you wish to play this game so much, Mr. White?" I demanded suspiciously. There was something very curious in his behaviour and repeated mention of this game.

His smile faltered and those crimson eyes hardened a fraction before returning to his cheerful self.

"Games are fun, Alice. Especially games in Wonderland!" he said convincingly, and again I felt that pull. The temptation had returned, whispering to me and luring me in.

I pulled away with the shake of my head. "I'm sorry Mr. White, but I do not play games."

I turned away in hopes of looking for a way to return to the surface when I heard the sound of a cork popping. I spun around to see Peter holding a small vile filled with liquid and his cheerful facade was gone. When his eyes lifted to mine, the madness had set in and made my skin crawl.

"You are such a hard person to please, Alice," he murmured as he lifted the vile and drank its contents.

Before I realised his intentions when he did not swallow, I was snatched up like the prey I was and his soft lips were on mine. The tip of his tongue caressed my lips, slipping in between to pry them open. I pushed against him in fear when I felt the trickle of a sweet liquid pass through him into me. It was almost too unbearable as I struggled to spit it out, but the exploration of his tongue caused me to swallow.

He pulled away ever so slightly, and I coughed and wiped away the droplets that did not make it. His hand caressed my face, his ruby eyes soft.

"Now you must play the game."

I stared at him in horror as he bent down and obtained the now empty vile with a twisted smile.

"Welcome to Wonderland, Alice. You will fit in perfectly."